In my devotional blog this week (EZ710) I have been in the second chapter of Philippians, looking at Paul’s intention to send both Timothy and Epaphroditus to the church at Philippi, as follows:
19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you.20 For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a sonwith a father he has served with me in the gospel. 23 I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, 24 and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.
25 I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, 26 for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. 29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, 30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. Philippians 2:19-30
Timothy was a third generation person of faith, following the path of his mother and grandmother:
5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 2 Timothy 1:5
We know nothing of the lineage of Epaphroditus but, given his Greek name, we can be sure that he was a Gentile and that he came to faith through the ministry of Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles. Epaphroditus was from Philippi, sent by the Philippians to deliver aid and companionship to Paul in his imprisonment in Rome. Epaphroditus had paid a high price for his service to Paul on behalf of the Philippian church, succumbing to a near fatal illness.
I’m impacted by the fact that Paul was entrusting the ministry that he began in Philippi to these two men, one of them very young, Timothy, and the other very likely young as well. The Gospel never ages, but we do, creating the necessity to train younger generations to take their turn as guardians and advocates of that Gospel.
This past Sunday evening, I attended the opening meet and greet of a new church that is being planted in Richmond. The young church planter has asked me to serve as an advisor to the developing young leadership there. At this point in my ministry journey, there is nothing that I would rather do. I was in a room with about 75 people and I think maybe a half-dozen were over 40 years old. This is the future of our faith, the future of our visible church as God builds His invisible church.
I thought about all the people who will be gathered into the family of God through these young adults. I realized that what God has given me could be multiplied thirty-fold, sixty-fold, a hundred-fold through them. This is such a worthwhile investment and I can’t wait to see what God will do.
